Deutschland 83
Directors - Edward Berger / Samira Radsi
Shot Location - Filmed in Berlin and Potsdam Germany / Stazi museum
Budget- $40Million Germany Biggest Budget
How many countries- USA, Germany , UK, Europe
Revenue-
LIAR-
Language
Industry
Audience
Representation
Old fashioned Vibe- e.g TV
colourful but muted colours
lowly saturated
shot reverse shot- passing cigarettes
use of real life footage gives authenticity
intertextual link song in the grocery
costume (Verisimilitude)
Handheld shots following character
smooth establishing shots
Animated title sequence with light hearted music but serious visuals
lots of character movement suspenseful music to fit mood
silence for effect
low angle shots
Editing
Throughout the first episode, the pace of camera changes to build suspense. This is evident from when Martin was running away from his aunt and the East Germany generals. Audiences would've became engrossed as the pace increases it leads to increased pressure.
Blue tone to represent a more moody , serious scene this was seen in East Germany.
Throughout the episode there was a use of colours but they were muted colours to conform to the authenticity and when the episode was set.
News footage from real television gives high levels of authenticity and makes it relatable to the audience and relates to the idea of Verisimilitude.
Sound
"Sweet Dreams" is a song by Euthrymics , made in 1983. This is an intertextual link as this song came out the year the episode was set and it accentuates the fact that where it was set and it makes it authentic as possible as the West was allied with America and thus the reason thew song being played in the grocery store.
Use of silence in meeting with the general playing chess, was unsettling.
Amplified sounds and fast music links to the ideal of paranoria and makes the audience be on the edge of the seats as they're instantly interested.
Mise-en-scene
Verisimilitude - uniforms and offices gives more authenticity
A lot of dark humour within the episode examples are when the Aunt was drugged and dancing, also at the beginning scaring the two thief
Camera Work
Wide shots of buildings establishes shots and builds suspense. As well shows transitions within the episode and it shows off the iconic places.
Shot reverse shot with the aunt and general passing the cigarettes. It builds the pace and tension and it goers back and forth.
Lots of camera movement shows panning and handheld
Match on action and pulling focus when Martin was on the phone to his girlfriend.
Class
Gender
Todorov
Hall
Van Zoonen
4 Micro Elements
Genre Conventions- Spy
Main Protagonist usually male
Weapons/Tech
Double Agent (Plot Twist)
Secrecy
Dark Colour Palette
Tension and Suspension
Genre Conventions - Comedy
Lighting tends to be proud
Main character usually male
Life doesn't run smoothly
Hybrid of Deutschland of 83 conforms to both to a Spy genre and comedy genre show. It contains a male protagonists who's life isn't running smoothly. Deutschland 83 also used a Dark colour palette but subverts from it in a light heart moments. As it is a spy genre it contains a lot of Tech and Weapons , Secrecy, Tension and Plot twists.
Genre theory is about what genres are, and about how
and why they are created, change endure or decline.
Neale argues that genre is a process by which generic codes and
conventions are shared by producers and audiences through repetition in media products.
This means that genres are not fixed, but constantly evolve
with each new addition to the generic corpus (the body of products in a genre),
often playing with genre codes and conventions or becoming hybrids with other
genres.
Generic codes and conventions are not just established
in media products but in products that refer to these products such as critical
writings or advertising and marketing material, what Neale referred to as ‘the inter textual relay’.
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Theories of
Representation – Hall
Representation is not about whether the media reflects or
distorts reality, as this implies that there can be one ‘true’ meaning, but the
many meanings a
representation can generate. Meaning is constituted by representation, by what is present,
what is absent, and what is different. Thus, meaning can be contested.
A representation implicates
the audience in creating
its meaning. Power – through ideology or by stereotyping – tries to fix the meaning of a
representation in a ‘preferred meaning’. To create deliberate anti-stereotypes is
still to attempt to fix the meaning (albeit in a different way). A more effective strategy is to
go inside the stereotype and open it up from within, to deconstruct the work of
representation.
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Stuart Hall's theory of representation (Guardian Research)
A more western population such as Americans may view Deutschland 83 the preferred reading in the fact that it is a fictional story and almost sympathise for Martin and will see the story from the point of the view the main protagonist.
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• CGI allowing visual effects even within TV budgets
• Drones allowing arial photography
• The development of high definition cameras, with low lightr sensitivity enabling recording low key lighting set-ups at night.
The developments of streaming technologies has enabled LFTV dramas to be made available on Netflix, BT, Virgin, Sky and Amazon who are actively commissioning proprietary content on their streaming services in order to differentiate themselves from other providers.
• The emergence of low cost streaming services is only possible through the lower cost of computers
• The political drive to create high speed connections
• The cultural contect of changing attitudes as to what constitutes television.
Streaming as a technology has also allowed
• Programmes to be made without obvious segmentation in order to fit advertising breaks
• Less adherence to rigid program lengths
• Less need for traditional narrative elements such as cliff hangers as programmes can be watched as complete series.;
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Viewpoints
and ideologies in media language (p156)
Referring to pages 156 of the OCR media
studies book you will refelect of the ideologies influencing media language in
TV dramas, these may include
·
Individualism - Deutschland 83 mainly focuses on Martin the protagonist and his journey of going to the west. Phone call to Girlfriend/ Take care of his mother/Shakespeare shows corruption
·
Consumerism- E.g. In Deutschland is when Martin jumps the wall and runs away from the general. Also, the Shakespeare books and the scene in the Grocery store/trying all the gadgets and spy skills/Puma/ Hypocrisy
·
Patriarchal- The scene at the generals party, Yvonne is expected to sing and show herself off. /Lenora- East German spy leader subverts the ideoalogy / Anett/ Martins mum in kitchen
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(p161) Todorov’s theory is designed to explain a linear narrative with a distinct ending, a narrative resolution. As Long form TV dramas are serial narratives (meaning they drive towards a resolution over e.g. the length of a series in order to meet audience expectations however the prime interest in these dramas is in how the resolution is delayed , a delay which creates a sense of anticipation by combining the movement towards that resolution with other narrative strands.
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Cultural Context-
- The episode reflects specifically German concerns about cultural amnesia and remembering. The need to remember - recent media products have explored East German experience in a way that represents how ambiguities of that experience were buried in the triumph of the West at reunification
- An example will be the tensions between the East and West
- Spy narrative is of global cultural resonance, despite its local origin , and helps explain the international success of its series
- The representational complexity of the programme reflects the context of the high expectations of LFTVD.
Historical Context-
- The episode explores the German division in 1983 : the East poor, controlled and firmly ideological: the West rich, free but self-doubting
- The complex and ambiguous representations in Deutschland 83 reflect the difficulties faced by Germany in coming to terms with its past., the political and military tensions of the early 1980s in divided Germany. The collapse of communism in 1989 meant that much more East German experience was swept under the carpet.
Political Context-
- The representation of concern in both Germany about american sabre about rattling may reflect either contemporary German political confidence, as the lead in European politics or a liberal critique of american republican politics by the programme american writer or both
Economic Context-
- The complexity of the characteristics and representations reflects the economic pressure to create quality flagship programming.
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Levi Strauss Levi Strauss’s idea of the binary opposition – that the system of myths and fables was ruled by a structure of opposing terms such as hot/cold, male female can be applied to LFTVD.
The opposites of way of life between East/West - west is more richer and more modernised whereas the east is more poorer
Male Leader/Female Leader
State:Family - Lenora is more interested in the East Germany state rather her than her own sister
Martin wants to be back home with his girlfriend and family
Manipulation/love- becoming a spy/lying to his girlfriend
Danger/Safety- always in danger and safety isn't given yet
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Stereotypes
- Walter is a stereo typically ruthless spymaster
- Young people at the party are stereotypical pleasure-seeking teenagers
- Martin flawed young man with lack of self control
- General Jackson Black male - Gung-ho american military man
- Yvonne troubled and rebellious young teenager
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